Teachable Moment: Thanksgiving Resources

November 16, 2015

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I am sure many of you are busily prepping your holiday Turkeys and readying your cranberry sauce. We too are busy organizing our long weekend adventures. Being a Canadian living in NYC, I have already celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving. That, however, doesn’t dampen my excitement for American Thanksgiving which is coming up this month. I have been busily creating some fun holiday activities for both home and school.

The first is a free Thanksgiving word search which can be downloaded at my teacher’s pay teachers store.It is a pretty straight forward activity that I usually have on hand for an early finisher resources.

The second activity is one of my favourites for helping kids hone in on the sentiment of the season. Head over to my store to download my What I am Thankful For handout. The aim of the activity is to have a child brainstorm something they are thankful for that aligns with each letter of the alphabet. If I am doing this activity in the classroom I will often turn it into a math lesson by gathering all the responses for certain letters then graphing the results as a class. This helps students master some of the graphing and data analysis learning outcomes. However, it also highlights what the class is thankful for and always leads to a great classroom discussion.

The last resource is a fun, at home Thanksgiving activity. It is a great way to keep little minds busy as you are prepping your Thanksgiving feasts. You can download my Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt on my TpT store also. Doll out a copy of the scavenger hunt to each child and send them on their way to hunt for all the Thanksgiving and fall items. I usually have prizes on hand for those who complete the whole chart.

From our family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!

Homemade, Slow Cooked, Creamy Mac and Cheese

October 21, 2015

So there is nothing paleo or vegan about this dish, but trust me it is so worth the indulgence. I know, I know, I bragged that our Canadian Thanksgiving menu was filled with paleo, vegan and clean eats. But rules are meant to be broken, and this recipe is so worth bending the guidelines for. My justification for its inclusion is that every year without fail my super host of an Aunty preps some Mac and Cheese, because it is my cousin Graeme’s favourite side dish. So in my mind no Thanksgiving table is complete without a little Mac and Cheese. After you try this recipe I am pretty confident you will agree. Continue reading “Homemade, Slow Cooked, Creamy Mac and Cheese”

Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles

October 19, 2015

So as you can probably tell I couldn’t make up my mind, which led me to make not one, but three holidays desserts for Canadian Thanksgiving. I have already highlighted my (and seemingly everyone else’s) favourite ice cream treat, Butter Brickle, as well as a vegan-paleo options in my Pumpkin Spice Balls. So today I bring you Pumpkin Spice Snicerdoodles. With the inclusion of real purréd pumpkin, these cookies have a soft, almost cake like texture. They are light and tasty, and you can make the case that you are eating your vegetables while you enjoy them 🙂 Happy fall to all! Continue reading “Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles”

Butter Brickle Ice Cream Dessert

October 14, 2015

Another recipe from our Canadian Thanksgiving is here! I know I gushed about how thankful we are for our NYC family, but that in no way means I didn’t miss my own family over the holiday weekend. It is an exciting time for my most precious people. One of my best friends/maid of honour (who is married to my cousin) is expecting their second babe any minute now. There are more pregnancies and brand new babies for some of my most cherished friends and family. My brother just got engaged (and KILLED the Victoria Half marathon). So there is so, so much to celebrate right now. So to make me feel a little closer to home I tried to emulate my Aunt’s fantastic Thanksgiving feast the best I could. That includes my all time, hands down favourite holiday dessert-Butter Brickle. You can keep your pumpkin pies and apple cobblers, I am all about this ice creamy treat. Enjoy! Continue reading “Butter Brickle Ice Cream Dessert”

Canadian Thanksgiving in NYC 3.0: Paleo Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole

October 12, 2015

This is our third Canadian Thanksgiving in New York. Being expats we have the pleasure of celebrating two Thanksgivings a year like the true gluttons we are. Each year when the Canadian version of the holiday roles around we wrangle a gaggle of our nearest and dearest Americans and try to make them a touch more Canadian.

In all seriousness though, we are incredibly fortunate to live out a real life Friends episode each and every day. We have amassed an incredible group of close, dynamic friends who have become our second family. Whether it is big events, or small moments we are truly thankful to be able to walk through this life with them. Each and every single one enriches us beyond measure in a way even the most eloquent words couldn’t capture. So although it doesn’t fully quell the homesickness of being far away from my traditional family on Thanksgiving, I am glad to have some pretty rad New Yorkers to celebrate the occasion with.

Now on to the food! I switched the menu up a little from last year. Again I strove to meet the gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, paleo dietary needs of my guests (with a few very needed exceptions). Based on the accolades and praise I received, I would say this year’s menu was a gland slam. Today you will find my recipe for Paleo Brocoli and Cauliflower Casserole. But don’t fret in the coming days I will continue to share the new recipes I whipped up for this years event, so keep checking back. Until then, Happy CANADIAN Thanksgiving to all!

Our Thanksgiving 2015 Menu:

Served 12 with tons of leftovers to spare

Pomegranate-Blueberry Glazed Roast Turkey
Mushroom-Leek Gluten Free stuffing
Curried Coconut Yam Casserole
Homemade Cranberry Sauce with Ginger and Pear
Homemade Mushroom Gravy
Paleo Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole
Mashed Potatoes
Slow Cooked Mac and Cheese
Kale and Brussel Sprout Salad
Buttermilk Biscuits
Vegan Pumpkin Spice Peanut Butter Balls
Butter Brickle Ice Cream Dessert
Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Continue reading “Canadian Thanksgiving in NYC 3.0: Paleo Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole”

American Thanksgiving: Homemade Curried Hummus

December 1, 2014

Lets just pause for a second. Isn’t our street beautiful this time of year? (Mad photog props to Fab for snapping the above gem). Our apartment may be winter ready and decorated for Christmas, but the rest of America still has fall and Thanksgiving to savor. Last month we hosted Canadian Thanksgiving which was such a hit (and left us with the most amazing left overs) that we opened our house once again to our family-less friends who were sticking around the city for the holidays. We were so thankful to share the day with some of our best people. Now all that needs to happen to make this past weekend a recurrent theme is for Justin to ditch Chicago, and for Aaron to move back ASAP (thanks for understanding guys).

I switched up the menu a little to try some new things, but also stuck with our tide and true favorites. Again, we kept things as vegan/Gluten-free/Paleo as possible with a few exceptions to the rule. It is a holiday after all and we need to live a little. The first of our festive eats is our Homemade Curried Hummus, which is no exception to any rule and pretty much free of everything. The subsequent menu fed a plethora of hungry millennials with left overs to spare. So, from our home to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!

Continue reading “American Thanksgiving: Homemade Curried Hummus”

Canadian Thanksgiving: Pomegranate-Blueberry Glazed Roast Turkey

November 18, 2014

Canadian Thanksgiving has come and gone, but luckily we Canadians live in America so we still have American Thanksgiving to look forward to. This recipe for Pomegranate-Blueberry Glazed Roast Turkey is my go-to for any meal intended to feed the masses. We hosted Canadian Thanksgiving a few weeks back where this dish was the main attraction. Next week, we will be cooking another bird for friends who remain in the city for American Thanksgiving, where again this recipe will take center stage. This non-traditional approach to prepping a turkey leaves you with a moist, succulent and flavorful meat that is always a hit. So be prepared to hide any remnants you want to keep for leftovers during your feast otherwise you may be disappointed to find nothing left once your guests depart. This thanksgiving we hope you enjoy your turkey, but most important savor those you share it with. Continue reading “Canadian Thanksgiving: Pomegranate-Blueberry Glazed Roast Turkey”

Slow Cooked Homemade Buns

October 29, 2014

Here is another recipe from our Canadian Thanksgiving. By sharing all my kitchen secrets, I am really ensuring all you Americans are ready for your feast in just over a month. Now baking isn’t always my area of expertise, and I find bread to be a tricky culinary pursuit. However, as soon as I discovered that I can turn my slow cooker into an almost bread maker I was sold. Not only are these buns low maintenance and simple but they are also super healthy. You can pronounce every ingredient in them, and unlike their store bought counterparts there are no added sugars. Making bread at home is always a sure fire way to wow guests (little do they know how little work and how simple it is to do). Continue reading “Slow Cooked Homemade Buns”

Canadian Thanksgiving: Vegan and Gluten Free Stuffing

October 21, 2014

Another dish from our Canadian Thanksgiving feast. This stuffing is a staple in all our holiday dinners. Whether it is Christmas, Thanksgiving or Easter if there is a turkey being cooked this stuffing is by its side as an accompaniment. I normally render this side with traditional, old fashioned fully glutenized bread. However, this year we had guests with different dietary needs. When I am hosting I want everyone to come and be able to eat to their breaking point. So I decided to play around with a gluten free version, resulting in a stuffing that Jay and I actually both liked a whole lot more! This stuffing is flexible in that you can use it to stuff a bird or you can cook it independently in a dutch oven or casserole dish. We normally do the latter because it allows you to prepare the dish the day before thus freeing up valuable kitchen real estate on the day of the dinner. Continue reading “Canadian Thanksgiving: Vegan and Gluten Free Stuffing”

Canadian Thanksgiving: Really Simple Pumpkin Cheesecake

October 16, 2014

So first an aside: I am sitting here watching the new show on fox, Gracepoint. It is a pretty good show if you’re into crime dramas, but my main motivation for watching is that seeing my city on the screen fills me with even more hometown pride (I know you didn’t think it was possible I could love Victoria even more but rest assured there are no limits on my affections). But then right this very second the whole experience just got even better (and my homesickness got a touch worse) because the filming location for the house of the main characters is three doors down from our house in Victoria. Meaning I just glimpsed the corner our yard on television. I mean that makes us practically famous right?

Okay, I will stop my over-exuberant nostalgia and get down to business. Pumpkin Cheesecake. Apparently, everyone loves pumpkin everything this fall. So this recipe from our Canadian Thanksgiving Feast is right on trend. This was one of the non-vegan, non-paleo and full gluten dishes. Because really dessert should just be decadent. It also happens to be super simple and more or less fool proof, while appearing complex and labor intensive. Enjoy!

Continue reading “Canadian Thanksgiving: Really Simple Pumpkin Cheesecake”